This question has been debated ever since the American Kennel Club (AKC) began registering the Deutsch Drahthaar (drahthaar) as a German wirehaired pointer (GWP) in the later 1950's. In my opinion, the question can be examined from two different perspectives: scientifically and from a breeder’s viewpoint.

Many GWP breeders state that if you trace a GWP’s pedigree back far enough you will find German registered drahthaars. I am sure that DNA testing would show no genetic differences between drahthaars and GWP. So in the absence of any available scientific data, I will concede that there is no genetic difference between drahthaars and GWP.

I produce drahthaars under the German registered kennel name vom Wildflugel Kennel. As a breeder I would like to provide my thoughts on why the drahthaar and GWP are two distinct breeds within the canine world. I will point out what I consider to be significant differences concerning their respective registries and breed standards. It is not my intent to make any value judgments; I am just providing my observations and opinions.

The versatile hunting dog concept was first envisioned by Germans during the early 1800's. The drahthaar was developed by hunters who wanted a pointer, a retriever that worked equally well on land and in the water, a tracker, a flusher, and a dog aggressive enough to bring down wounded game. The drahthaar was to be mentally and physically tough, but calm and well mannered to protect a family and their property. German breeders were idealists who believed that by selecting the best brood stock from stichelhaar, pudelpointer, griffon, and Deutsch kurzhaar hunting dogs, any progeny produced would have to be the best. 

The Verein Deutsch Drahthaar, e.V. (VDD) breed organization was established in 1902 by a handful of devoted and determined breeders who had complete faith in their objective. Under the leadership of Alex Lauff, the first president of the VDD who remained in office for more than twenty years, the drahthaar movement grew. As the VDD became stronger, the breeding program was developed and supervised. These breeding regulations were rigid and demanding. The VDD maintains the breed standard, registers litters, and issues green registration cards (Ahnentafels).

At this same time Sigismund Freiherr vom Zedlitz und Neukirch, better known as Hegewald, was becoming involved with drahthaars. Hegewald is known as the father of the German utility hunting dog performance breeding test. He wrote many books and articles on the value and use of a utility hunting dog. His works became the foundation of the hunting dog movement in Germany. The first HZP (fall breed test) was conducted in 1920 and he paved the way for the test structure that is still used in the VDD today. Unfortunately, versatile hunting dog testing in Germany was halted from 1940 through 1949 due to World War II. So as you can see the testing and breed regulations go back a long way and are an integral part of making the drahthaar what it is today.

In the early 1970's a subgroup of the VDD known as Group North America (VDD-GNA) was established in the United States. This group of dedicated breeders conforms to the strict VDD breed standards and testing program that was developed by the parent organization in Germany.

I am a member of VDD-GNA and have made a conscience decision to follow the VDD’s strict set of breeding and testing regulations. My dogs are registered as drahthaars; this is what appears on the Ahnentafel and how I advertise them. Other individuals have decided that the VDD is not for them and have chosen to follow a different path. They breed GWP and register their dogs with the AKC, North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association (NAVHDA), or Field Stud Dog Book (FSDB).

I believe the VDD’s breeding and testing regulations have taken the drahthaar in a different direction from the GWP. Drahthaars are required to meet these strict formal breed standards before they can be certified for breeding purposes. These standards include an evaluation of coat, conformation, field performance, and gun sensitivity in the field and in the water. There have been minor adjustments to the breeding and testing regulations over the history of the drahthaar, but they are basically the same today as those developed in the early 1900's. Since the turn of the century the drahthaar has been selectively bred with the specific aim of obtaining an assertive and efficient working rough-coated German versatile gundog. 

The AKC is the all-breed registry for purebred dogs in the United States and the governing body for AKC-sponsored dog events, i.e. dog shows, field trials, hunts tests, etc. The German Wirehair Pointer Club of America (GWPCA) sets the breed standard for the GWP in the United States.  The only requirement an AKC registered GWP must meet in order to be used for breeding is that each parent be a purebred representative and be registered with the AKC or be a recognized import from a foreign registry. While the AKC and GWPCA encourage and promote good breeding practices, there are no disqualifying faults that would prevent an AKC German wirehaired pointer from being bred and registered. Neither of these two organizations has the authority to remove any dog from a breeding program, it is up to the breeders and it is strictly voluntary. On the other hand, the VDD will not certify any drahthaar for breeding purposes if it has a hereditary fault, i.e. underbite, overbite, missing incisors, fangs, or molars, missing or anomalies in the male sex organs, natural bobbed or crooked tail, light nose, glass eyes, etc., or that is not mentally or physically sound.

Many individuals trial their GWP in National Shoot to Retrieve Association (NSTRA), NAVHDA, and/or AKC sponsored events, they do so voluntarily. Some of these same GWP also compete in bench shows. While this information can and is used by many AKC breeders to develop quality breeding programs, it is my opinion that most breeders have absolutely no testing data on their brood stock or offspring. Furthermore, many breeders are not familiar with the GWP breed standards to objectively evaluate their dogs’ coat and conformation or they choose to ignore the breed standards altogether.

Often subjective GWP breeding decisions are made based solely on hunting ability of the parents, sometimes at the expense of conformation and coat. As previously stated, the VDD requires drahthaars to successfully pass a field performance evaluation, gun sensitivity test in the field and in the water, and pass a coat and conformation evaluation prior to being used for breeding.

The Federation Cynologique Internationale (FCI) is the World Canine Organization which includes 80 members. The United States is not a member of FCI. The FCI recognizes 339 canine breeds, each breed is owned by one member country and that owner writes the standard for the breed. Germany is the owner country for the Deutsch drahthaar and the VDD writes and maintains the breed standards. In essence, a VDD registered drahthaar can be imported and registered with the AKC; however, an AKC registered GWP cannot be registered with the VDD.    

The coat lengths on drahthaars are shorter, denser, harder, and more consistently reproduced than on their GWP counterparts. The book titled German Wirehaired Pointers by Compere contains pictures of German wirehaired pointers with coat lengths in excess of 7 cm.

The VDD registers three coat colors: braunschimmel (brown and white roan), braun (solid brown with or without white on the chest), and schwarzschimmel (black and white roan). Any other color is not permitted. The GWP breed standards list coat colors as liver and white in combination with ticking and solid liver. Any black in the coat is to be severely penalized. The AKC permits white coated dogs with minimal liver on the body while this color does not appear within the drahthaar breed. Shwarzschimmel dogs cannot compete in AKC breed shows, although they are permitted to compete in obedience, fun trials, agility trials, etc.